Ishikawa Travelogue (5) The Connection Between Komatsu and Itoigawa, Jadeite and Jasper
This time, I will write about a completely unexpected discovery. It is about the stones that were on display at Komatsu Station in Ishikawa Prefecture.
The other day, I went on a business trip to Itoigawa in Niigata, and I became interested in "stones."
I was so enthusiastic that I even read the following book.
The previous entry is here.
After finishing work, I arrived at Komatsu Station by taxi at 16:30, and since I had some time, I looked around the area.
When I asked at a Komatsu souvenir shop if there were any places still open at this hour, the staff member said to me, "You came here before, right? For the soba noodles." I was very happy, as I had visited a year ago, and as someone with a plain face, I am rarely remembered.
It is about the soba restaurant called "Soan" below.
Komatsu is a great place. (Advertisement follows)
Komatsu no Mori also closes at 16:30, but the grounds were open, and I could see the construction machinery. It seems that Komatsu was established when the machinery repair department of the Yusenji Copper Mine in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, separated and became independent (according to the Komatsu website). That copper mine is apparently located near the Hanibe Cave Temple, about 20 minutes south of Komatsu, and it is now closed and has been turned into a tourist spot.
It is moving to think that a single business project became the global Komatsu.
And the highlight this time was the exhibit at the station. I saw some earthenware and wandered in, wondering, "What is this?"
Then, there were detailed explanations about "Kutani ware" and "jasper." I am not well-versed in pottery, but the other day in Okayama, I saw Bizen ware komainu (guardian dogs) and a torii gate, and I also saw some pottery at Konpira-san in Kagawa. Come to think of it, pottery is also made of clay, so it is a relative of stone.
It says that when red rhyolite is altered by hydrothermal activity, it becomes Hanasaka transparent stone, which is the raw material for Kutani ware.
Rhyolite is a keyword I saw the other day in "Itoigawa."
Next is jasper. This is a term I am not familiar with. It seems "hydrothermal activity" is the keyword. I looked it up, but I still don't quite understand; hydrothermal water seems to be water over 100 degrees. Water would seem to boil at 100 degrees, but perhaps it stays at a high temperature without turning into steam. It means that when that continues to hit a mineral deposit, it undergoes metamorphosis.
I heard that the 'Story of Walking with Gems' is even a Japan Heritage site, but I don't know what 'shugyoku' (gems) refers to.
When you click the link, you can see images of jadeite magatama and jasper tube beads, as well as photos of jasper.
What surprised me most was that Komatsu Station and the entire Komatsu no Mori area to its east were all archaeological sites. Earthenware was also excavated from here.
It seems it was called the Yokaichi-Jikata Ruins.
Komatsu was part of the Kaga Domain and seems to have originally prospered due to things like Kutani ware and Kaga Yuzen, so it doesn't seem to be just a company town; I realized that people have been gathering there since the Jomon period.